Air conditioning apparatus



Oct; 24, 1944.

w.' P. AGEE, JR AIR CONDITIONINGY- PPARATUS Filed Feb. 19, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet l wm.in

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Oct. 24, 1944.-

P, AGEE, JR 2,361,076 AIR CONDITIONING vAPPRATUS Filed Feb. 19, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 P ASEE Jv.-

m me; YO wats Patented Oct. 24, 1944 l 2,361,076 t AIR-CONDITIONING APPARATUS *William-P. Agee, Jr., Memphis, Tenn.,` assgnor of onehalf to William phis, Tenn.

Gaillard Boaz, Mem- A QApplcationFebruary 19, 1941, Serial No. 379,686

1 claim. (01.261-92) This invention relates to airconditioning, and more'particularly to the air conditioning of'rooms and houses by the utilization of window conditioning units with or withoutl auxiliary equipment.

Prior to the instant invention various typesof room conditioners have been proposed which have been relatively `expensive to manufacture and awkward to locate in the space totbe conditioned without provision for special supports and the taking up of considerable space. Theseprior conditioning units have also required consider.

Ia minimum of attention duringV operation.

Other objects andthe nature-'and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thek following description taken in conjunction'with the accompanying'drawings, wherein: 'V

Fig. lis a fragmentary elevational view illustrating a window conditioning unit in'accordance lwith the invention in place in'a window;

' Fig. 2 is a top View with parts broken away of theunit shown in Fig. 1; l 'V l n Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 3--3 of Fig. 2 andlooking inthe direction of the arrows; l

Fig, 4 is a view in perspective of the moisture absorbing'andI storing element of the unit shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3;v

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail-viewer awater reservoir incorporated inthe conditioning unit;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary'detail viewof` a modifled form of rotor unit; v

r Figure 7 is a view similar toFigure 1` showing ya modified form of installation'- of the device in elevation; and

Figure 8 is a horizontal section taken along line on Figure 7 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

ReferringV to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the window conditioning unit 20 is'adapted to be located directly within the window frame 2| Aand resting on the window sill 22 with the window'23` 'brought -down directly on top of the conditioning unit 26. The unit 20 may be anchored to the window frame 2| by the screws v24 which pass through the extending end portions 25 into the window frame 2l, it being understood that other equivalent fasteningmeans may be utilized. l

The conditioning unit 20 comprises a box 26 Vincluding similar 'frontand back portions 21 and '28 respectively,end portions 29 and 30 res`pec tively, a bottom 3| `and atop 32. The front 21 and the back 28 areeach formed with a generally circular opening 33 which may be covered by a wire mesh screen 34 to prevent the entry into the room to be conditioned of insects and other objectionable matter. The lower portions 33a;y

of the openings 33 are generally horizontal.

whereby the lower portions of the front4 21 and',

theback 28 may serve as walls of a water reser voir lin the bottom of the conditioning unit 26.

Located within the conditioning unit 20 and'A at one end thereof is the main water supply tank; 35 which may be provided with a lifting handle 36 at its top and the capped filling opening 31' also located in its top. On that side of the water tank 35 which faces the interior of the conditioning lunit 2|] is a hand operated outlet valve 38 which may be operated manually from time to time to lill the lower portion of the box 26 with water, the utilization of which will later be de-A scribed.

Located at the opposite end of the box 26 and adjacent the wall 21 is an auxiliary tank 39 provided with a lifting handle 40h, a cappedlling opening 46a, a manually operated outlet valve 4| adjacent the bottom and normally open, anda level control tube 42 connected tothe upper portion of the tank 39 and extending toward the bottom of the box 26 to a level corresponding to the desired maximum water level therein, and slightly lower than the horizontal portion 33a of the opening 33. The water feeding operation of the auxiliary tank 39 is automatic and will be explained later.

Located between the main tank 35 and the auxiliary tank 39, and centrally located of the box 26, are the bearing supports 16 and1| which support in rotatable relation the shaft 12 to which are secured at opposite ends the inner fan' or conditioned air moving element 43, which is specially designed to move a relatively great quantity of air, and the outer rotor 44 which serves to draw air into the unit, set up a screen of water through which the air must pass, and throw water onto the water absorbing element 45. The shaft 12 comprises an inner portion 12a and an outer portion 42h removably secured together by the coupling element 46. Between the coupling element and the bearing support 40, and fixedly mounted on the shaft portion 12a, is a pulley 41. The endless belt 48 connects in driving relation the pulley 41 and the pulley 49 secured to the shaft of the electric motor 50 `lo7 cated in back of the auxiliary tank -39 fand mounted on the bottom 32 of the box 26 of the conditioning unit 20. y y

Transversely of the shaft 12 and located betweeny the rotating elements 43 and 44 is the water absorbing element 45 which extends from the top to the bottom of the box- 26 and froml the f panel 5| adjacent the main water tank 35 provided with slot 5|a to accommodate the valve prising relatively tall narrow ends 53 which may be of canvas or metal, and a front and back 54 of the same height as the ends 53 and extending therebetween,'g'zfhricated of mosquitofnetting' or metal screening. Between thefen'ds 53? tlierrrois-r ture absorbing element 45 has a out out portion when the same is mounted in place-. walls forming the cut out portion 45' may be of the same material as the ends-53E anditli'e bottom= 56 may also be of the sameim'aterial absorbing element is adapted to be opened at its top and house wick-like material 'Ifsuchasfex'- celsior, raw cotton, rope and the like.

In utilizing theconditioning unit 20, it'is" only-i electric plug Sai-may. then befconnected to` av convenientelectric outlet vwithin theroomto be conditioned,the switchM 59.. flickedtd its on'position, causing vthe motor. 501to operate and thereby eiecting rotation. of. the shaft42. The .water in thev lower portio`r1-of. the'. box 26;.will. be absorbed and stored by.y the. water. absorbing. element 45 and at the same time the rotating element. will effect, a.,waterlscreen.in the path ofthe air movement from the. outside. of the space tol be conditioned. to the. inside,l of. saidspacel- The incoming. air; will'rst. be washedjandsliglltly cooled asrit passes through 4the Waterscreen,referredtd Uponvpassage of the clean. slightly cooled air through, tlie moisture absorben l45,, ity ei'ects evaporationlthereinto of'the moisture in theabsorber with an. accompanyingmarked coolingef feet corresponding to thev amount' of' moisture The'water 55 to accommodate the shaft 42 and coupling lilit The=innen evaporatedfiiitor the air f For` every. poundij of Y replenisliing,` the. handgvalve. 38. maybe operated, n. A

.orthe auxiliary tankby meansoffthe levelcontroltube .42"vvilll automatically maintain the vpropg er level of. water` When the ,water level ,is above the lower end'rof'theI tube. 422ml water can pass from' thertank 39' becausetlie space above the i.

water witliiri the tank isjnot connected to the atmosphereg However, as :soon as thewater level within the' box, 2B'. drops below the lower.` end. of the tube 42," thereisian atmospheric connection to* the top of the` tankll"and"Y water" willv ow through` theopen valve 41 until the level rises suiciently' to cover the 'lower' end' of the tube '42 Accordingly; thedevice may-operate for-long pe' riods' of time without attention; f

i' Although the'- rotors has beerrvillustratedi-in Figuresv 2 and1 3 as' being' of' thepropeller type with cups C formed on the endY of-thebladesf'Bla modied fforrn-of rotor-124'!!l may loe-- substituted comprisingblades BB'; ai peripherali rimv and water cups`V CCQlmounted: ontheeriindlt` 'toi` pick fecti the water'fscreenv.'

omitted.'

It is to be understood that it is within the scope of the invention to eliminate the screws 24 and merely utilize expansible partitions or telescopic slides which cooperate witt4 tli'e lvertically yattending Ui-'sliaped fittings WZshown in Figure 2, and the sides of the window frame for eiecting the installation of the device. If desired,A bot-l1 .means may be utilized. Referring to Figures 6 and 7, such modifiedform of 'installationis: illiistratefdA The window conditioning unit21201i`sv adapted to be located directly within 'are adapted," to house7 the. elements 224 within whichtle. elements 2'25JareY in. turnadapted, to

slide. Theelem'ent's 2'25..maybe formed as best shown inV Figure 8 to fit snugly= against; the windowframe 22'I and. if. it. is-desired the elements 225 may be fastenedr tothe window frame: 224 by screws,or speciiiefastening, means may be It` will., be. obviousl to those skilled in the art thatvarious cliangesniay be-.Inad'e in this device without departing Kfrom the spirit of.,the.inven' tion. and-l therefore.tliinvention is not limited to what'li's shown in. thedrawings and described in thespecification but only as indicated inthe appendedclaiin.

Wliat is claimedisu y In' an air-'conditioningapparatus, a relatively narrow,- low, Awide, box-like. structure including a bottom adapted. to.' be. set, on. a window sill within a windowA framelfwith a .sash lowered to the top` of'said'structurelmheefro-nt and back of said` box-like structure. being.;` provided with aligned openings, amain water tank located-within th'ebox-lile structurefatone side oftheopen'fings, an auxiliary tank` and a motorlocated with@- in the box-like structure. andv on. the 4otherside of' said openings,ai rotatably supported shaft mounted"sub'stantiallt7 axially.V of; theconnecting projection of the saidropeningaatpulley mounted on said shaft;v a second lshaftflforI said motor., a pulleyL on saill motor; shaft., an endless belt v connecting said' first pulley with-.said-secondpulley, a panel adjacent said.main water tank reaching to' the bottom of'said 'Joox.likev structure, ,ai second panel adjacentsaid motor and saidrauxiliaryftank and reachingA tothe bottomtoisaid box-like struct'ureg the saidbottom,` thetwo panels; the said front' andthe said-back forming a-water vreservoir, a water-absorbent...elementi located inf said reservoir and extendingthrough. the connecting projection'between .the saidtwo openings, arotor mounted'on said shaft on one sideof said water.- labsorbent elementr off al sizef extending 'into said waterreservoir andadapted'tomOve air through the"connectingv projectionbetween thesaid two openingswliereby airl willbe movedthrough the screenofiwater'effectedby 'saidrotorl a. second rotorrnountedon saidffshaftl'onv the opposite side of said wat'erabsorbent'element ,for inducing .the flow'of washed* and."c'ooled ail" passing. through the#water=abscrkientelementiinto the space to be conditioned( q 

